Cicero man charged in vicious sex assault, hate crime

A Cicero man was in stable condition Thursday after police say he was beaten, raped and sodomized by another man Saturday night.

Ellyn Ong Vea, eovea@mysuburbanlife.com

A Cicero man was in stable condition Thursday after police say he was beaten, raped and sodomized by another man last week.

A Cicero resident was arrested in the case and faces several charges, including aggravated criminal sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated battery and a hate crime, according to officials.

In a videotaped confession with Cicero police, Felipe Rivera, 43, said he followed the victim — a 37-year-old man — to an outside staircase about 9:30 p.m. near the victim’s basement apartment on 50th Avenue, said Dan Proft, Cicero town spokesman. Police said Rivera then tore the man’s pants open and raped him.

Rivera then punched the man in the face, knocking him semi-unconscious, police said. Rivera then found a metal broom handle and sodomized the man while he was on the ground, according to police.

The man said in his videotaped confession he did this because he hates gay people and "this is what you get," police said.

Residents near the apartment called police to report the man lying outside injured.

Meanwhile, Rivera had gone to his mother’s home in Cicero, where she called police because she had a protection order against him. Police arrested Rivera about 9 a.m. Saturday at the home on the charge of violating the protection order and then connected him to the alleged sex assault.

The incident happened shortly after a party down the street, where police said Rivera had punched the man when he reportedly winked at him.

Police said Rivera reportedly became offended after thinking that the man was gay, police said.

Rivera was asked to leave the gathering and he did so, police said.

His bond was set Thursday at $350,000, a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said.